14 Months

Ally has a pair of shorts that say "Catch me I'm cute," which is a perfect summation of our little toddler. She is all motor skills these days. She can run exceptionally fast for her age, walk backwards, walk on her toes, turn in circles, climb, kick, and throw. She's able to draw really well for her age too and enjoys scribbling with markers, crayons and side walk chalk. We haven't been as good at reading to her as we should be, but honestly, it's hard to get her to stay still long enough to get through more then 2-3 pages.

She's still not really talking, at least not in words that we can understand. Her vocabulary is limited to Mama, Dada and thank you, but she rarely has a problem getting her point across. She points, shakes her head no, blows kisses, waves bye bye, and has a series of grunts, whines and screams that are pretty easy to interpret.

She loves animals of any shape and size. One of her favorite activities at the park is chasing squirrels, and she always runs straight to the guinea pig cage when we pick Sophia up from preschool. And of course, she loves her own doggy. Unlike her older sister, she's interested in playing dress up and is pretty good at accessorizing by herself.

She's a good eater...in fact, she's too good. Several times a day I end up fishing dog food and marking pens out of her mouth! Fruits and vegetables are her favorites at meal time.

We often refer to her as "crazy baby" because she can be a real goofball, but she is full of laughter and always has us laughing right along with her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_LIbdfC4Ys

Cool Kid Tricks

The girls are always making us smile with their newest "tricks." The current favorites are Sophia's eyebrow trick (she has spent lots of time practicing this one in the mirror)

and Ally's urge to headbang to annoying kid-toy-music.

I'm not exactly sure what Sophia was doing at the end of that video, but it looks like classic big sister mischief to me!

What a Difference a Year Makes

A year ago... ....and now.

I'm amazed how different Ally looks. She hasn't let us out of her sight since she was born, so I know she wasn't swapped!

Sidewalk Chalk Paste 101

This summer, Sophia has discovered that if you mix sidewalk chalk with water, you can make a paste that has many uses. It's great for painting the interior of a playhouse. Here is Sophia hard at work painting the kitchen:

I like her use of color on the door: The dining room used to be all white, but now has pink and blue walls and gorgeous painted trellis work. I think the girls across the street must have helped.

The paste also works great on screen doors, although Daddy's not a big fan of this use.

If you're in a pinch, it's also great for highlighting your hair. Just massage the paste into your scalp and wallah ~ instant color!

Ultimate Peek-A-Boo

I'm not sure if this is what the builders had in mind when they built this house, but these squares in our dining room have created fun for our whole family!

First Day Of School

Sophia started preschool today, and I'm not sure which one of the four of us is more excited! She has a new teacher and a new classroom this year, but the daily routine seems to be about the same. There were two girls in Sophia's class last year, and both girls are in her class again this year, so she's thrilled to be with her old friends. Sophia said that during circle time, she missed me and Ally, but her hands were wiggling like crazy as she told me everything else she did on her first day.
And I can't believe how much I was able to get done during those 3 short hours! Yay for preschool!!

Why My Wine Glass is Already Empty: